Speaking
Keynotes, practical workshops, conference sessions, panels and lunch-and-learns on mental health and wellbeing. I tailor each talk to the audience, from leadership teams and boards to public health and sector events.
Speaking topics →
Wellbeing scientist, CEO of Be Well Co and keynote speaker
Dr Joep van Agteren
I study what helps people build and keep good mental health, and help workplaces, government and community organisations put that evidence into practice.
About Dr Joep van Agteren
I have a PhD in psychology and lead Be Well Co, a social enterprise owned by Camp Quality. I am also an Affiliate Senior Lecturer at Adelaide University's School of Public Health and sit on the Wellbeing and Prevention Coalition. Based in Adelaide, I advise government, NGOs and business on mental health promotion and workplace wellbeing.
- 40+publications, including in Nature Human Behaviour and Nature Mental Health
- 2,000+citations of our research
- 50+organisations I have worked with on mental health and wellbeing initiatives
As featured in
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- The Australian
- The Daily Telegraph
- ABC Radio Adelaide
- FIVEaa
- InDaily
- SALIFE
- APS InPsych
- MJA InSight+
- Psychology Today
- American Psychiatric Association
A selection of organisations I have worked with
- Victorian Department of Health
- Beyond Blue
- Prevention United
- WA Mental Health Commission
- Fay Fuller Foundation
- Movember
- Alfred Health
- Department of Veterans' Affairs
- Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions
- SA Department for Correctional Services
- SAHMRI
The science of mental wellbeing, put to work
Be Well Co started as a spin-out of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). It is based in North Sydney, alongside its owner Camp Quality, and has an office in Adelaide. It designs and delivers evidence-based mental health and wellbeing education for workplaces, government and community organisations, and runs its own research program.
I specialise in mental wellbeing: how it overlaps with mental illness, how to measure it and how to promote it, both generally and in workplaces. My expertise includes systematic reviews and meta-analysis, intervention design and evaluation, workplace wellbeing and mental health strategy, and mental health promotion policy.
I care about being clear on how strong the evidence is, and about turning it into something people can use.
The dual continua model
One area of my research focuses on the dual continua model, which sees mental wellbeing as distinct from mental illness rather than as its opposite. People can flourish or languish with or without a mental illness.
- Symptomatic but contentgood wellbeing, with mental illness
- Flourishinggood wellbeing, no mental illness
- Strugglingpoor wellbeing, with mental illness
- Languishingpoor wellbeing, no mental illness
The model has strong empirical support, which Dr Matthew Iasiello and I set out in our scoping review of the evidence.
My PhD thesis was on languishing, where people have poor wellbeing without a mental illness, and on how to help them move towards flourishing. Around one in five Australians are languishing.
Three ways to work with me
Training and research projects are delivered through Be Well Co, which puts the team and systems of an established provider behind the work.
Training and workshops
Workplace wellbeing and mental health workshops and programs for teams and leaders, delivered online or in person across Australia by Be Well Co's psychologists and facilitators. Options range from one-hour team sessions to the five-week Be Well Plan.
Workplace wellbeing training via Be Well Co →Research and evaluation
Commissioned research and independent evaluation by Be Well Co's research team, including evidence reviews, program evaluation, wellbeing measurement, and service and funding mapping. Recent clients include the Victorian Department of Health, Prevention United and the Fay Fuller Foundation.
Mental health research and evaluation via Be Well Co →
Keynotes and talks
I speak as a wellbeing scientist and workplace wellbeing expert to leadership teams, staff and conference audiences across Australia. I give different types of presentations, from keynotes to practical workshops, and tailor each one to the audience I am working with. I bring a healthy dose of humour to my talks, and people always walk away with practical takeaways that are relevant to their own situation. Below are the topics I am asked about most.
Recent audiences include the Adelaide 36ers, Invox, Baptistcare, the Society for Mental Health Research, the International Positive Psychology Association, the New Zealand Positive Psychology Association, Beyond Blue, the Victorian Department of Health, the National Network of Mental Health Promotion Professionals, the SA Suicide Prevention Council, the Australian Psychological Society and the Queensland Reform Summit.
For workplaces and leaders
- Building mental health capability at work. Using the Protect, Respond, Promote model to move from awareness to practical skills.
- How languishing affects organisations, and what to do about it. What it means when around one in five people are not ill but not doing well, and practical ways to turn it around.
- Leading mentally healthy teams. What leaders can do day to day to support the mental health and wellbeing of their team.
- Psychological safety for leaders. How to build a team where people feel safe to speak up, raise concerns and admit mistakes.
- Managing stress and building resilience. Evidence-based strategies for individuals and teams to stay well under pressure.
For health, policy and sector audiences
- What actually works to build mental wellbeing. Lessons from our meta-analysis of 419 trials and the What Works guide we wrote for Beyond Blue.
- How to make our system look beyond illness. The dual continua model and what it means for policy, services and workplaces.
- What is wellbeing, really, and how do I measure it? The 19 dimensions of positive mental health that 122 experts agreed on, and how to choose and use wellbeing measures.
Topics can be combined or adapted to the theme of your event. Enquire about a talk →
Speaker bio for event organisers
Dr Joep van Agteren is a wellbeing scientist, workplace wellbeing expert, CEO of Be Well Co and an Affiliate Senior Lecturer at Adelaide University. His talks are engaging and practical, delivered with a healthy dose of humour, and combine the science of mental wellbeing with strategies audiences can apply straight away. People always walk away with takeaways that are relevant to their own situation. Joep likes to challenge common ideas and get people thinking, and he connects the content to who people are and what they value.
Research and publications
I have more than 40 publications, cited over 2,000 times, many written with my long-time collaborator Dr Matthew Iasiello and the Be Well Co research team.
Current projects: What Works for Mental Wellbeing, a digital guide developed with Prevention United and Victoria's Wellbeing Promotion Office; mapping South Australia's mental health system for the Fay Fuller Foundation; and the MyWELL study for people living with myeloma.
- Nature Human Behaviour · 2021A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological interventions to improve mental wellbeing
- Nature Mental Health · 2026A Delphi consensus study on the dimensions of positive mental health
- Beyond Blue · 2023A guide to what works for mental wellbeing
- Australian Psychologist · 2019Advancing our understanding of mental wellbeing and mental health: the call to embrace complexity over simplification
- Journal of Happiness Studies · 2021Using a technology-based meaning and purpose intervention to improve well-being: a randomised controlled study
- International Journal of Wellbeing · 2024What's the difference between measures of wellbeing, quality of life, resilience, and coping? An umbrella review and concept map of 155 measures of positive mental health
The full list of publications is on Google Scholar, ResearchGate and ORCID. You can also find me on LinkedIn.
Writing and videos
I write about mental health and wellbeing on my own Substack and create content for Wellbeing Explained, Be Well Co's newsletter on wellbeing science. I also host live sessions called A Happy Hour with Dr Matthew Iasiello. Below are my most recent articles.
All articles on my Substack → All articles on Wellbeing Explained →- When work stops being a choice: the modern family trap · , Substack
- Considering the mental health and wellbeing consequences of Australia's tobacco policy · , Substack
- Do you have a conflict of interest when you defend social media online? · , Substack
- Joy for the joyless · , Wellbeing Explained
- If you do not invest in your people's mental health capability now, you risk losing them later · , Wellbeing Explained
Play video: Capability, not awareness, is the gap in workplace mental health
Get in touch
- A keynote or talk at your conference or event
- Training for your team or leaders, via Be Well Co
- Research, evaluation or advice, via Be Well Co
- Research collaboration
- Media interviews and comment
For training and research enquiries, you can also contact Be Well Co directly or call 1300 857 425.